Frank g



(No Model.)

I. G. GROVE 8v D. P. LILLARD.

FOLDING UMBRELLA.

No. 540,098. Patented May 28, 1895.

INVEZZHS B) 2 Lymph *6 ATTORNEYS.

THE Nonms pcrzns cu. moraumo WASHINGTDN n c.

UNITED STATES FFICE.

PATENT FRANK G. GROVE AND DON P. LILLARD, OF LURAY, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNORSTO FRANK G. GROVE AND FRANCIS H. TI-IARP, OF SAME PLACE.

FOLDING UMBRELLA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,098, dated May 28,1895. Application filed March 20, 1894. Serial No. 504,396- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FRANK G. GROVE and DON P. LILLARD, both of Luray,in the county of'Page and State of Virginia, have invented a new andImproved Folding Umbrella, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

Our invention relates to improvements in folding umbrellas of the kindillustrated in Letters Patent of the United States No. 507,809, datedOctober 31, 1893.

The object of our invention is to improve the construction shown in thepatent referred to, and particularly to provide an extensible bracewhich is. easily operated, is cheap and is very strong.

The invention consists in the particular construction and arrangement ofparts as hereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

Reference'is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a broken sectional elevation of the umbrella, showing ourimprovements, the umbrella being illustrated as spread. Fig. 2 is adetail sectional view of the folded umbrella. Fig. 3 is a brokenperspectiveview of one of the braces in its extended position. Fig. a isa longitudinal section of one of the braces in a collapsed state. Fig. 5is a broken detail perspective view, partly in section, of the innersection of a brace. Fig. 6 is a view of a section of a brace. Fig. 7illustrates a modified form of the brace, and Fig. 8 is a detailinverted plan view of the cover.

The umbrella stick 10, is made up in sections 11 which are screwedtogether at the points 12, as illustrated, although the sections may beunited in any convenient way, and on the stick is the runner 14,substantially like that shown in our former patent referred to above,and to the runner are pivoted the braces 15 which embody the mostessential features of our invention, each brace comprising a hollowinner section 16 adapted to be pivoted to the runner, and an outersection 17 adapted to slide in the section 16. The section 16 ispreferably triangular in cross section, as this construction renders itstrong and enables it to be made light, but it may be made of a U-shapedcross section, as shown at 16 in Fig. 7, or in any suitable shape. Theinner end of the section 16 is elongated, as shown at 18, so that it maybe conveniently pivoted to the runner 14.

The section 17 is preferably of V-shaped cross section, so that itwillfit snugly in the section 16, but it is of course shaped to fitsnugly in the section without regard to what 6: the shape of the lattermay be. In the hollow side of the section 17 is a fastening spring 19,which is secured to the section 17, and the free end of which is adaptedto enter the section 16, this spring being bent at a right angle, asshown at 20, to form a shoulder to engage the outer end of the section16, while it terminates in another right angled bend 21, adapted toengage a perforation 22 in the section 16, and thus lock the section 17in an extended position. The brace flay be collapsed by pushing in thespring 19 and then sliding the section 17 into the section 16 when itwill be held therein by the said spring.

The cover 23 of the umbrella is arranged in substantially the usualmanner, but it is double in the center as at 24, at which point it isfastened to the stick 10, being held in place by a detachable tip 25which has a threaded stem 26 adapted to screw into a bushing 27 in the.endof the stick 10, this bushing being turned out at the top to form aflange which serves as a crown-piece. The seams 28 of the cover arecorded and made strong, while its edge is similarly corded or providedwith a 8 heavy hem 29 which is secured to the outer ends of the sections17 of the braces.

When the umbrella is spread, the braces slide out until the springs 19catch in the sections 16 and lock the cover in an extended position, andwhen the umbrella is to be folded the stick 10 is reduced to its mostcompact shape, the tip 25 removed, the braces 15 collapsed and the coverfolded in, as illustrated in Fig. 2. 5

Thebrace illustrated in Fig. 3 may be used as a rib in the ordinaryumbrella, and in connection with the sectional handle described above,converts the ordinary umbrella into a folding one.

Having thus described our invention, we bent to enter the aperture 22and provided to claim as new and desire to secure by Letters with theshoulder 20 to engage the endof the Patent section 16; substantially asdescribed.

In a ribless umbrella, a sectional brace comprising a triangular hollowinner section 16 FRANK G. GROVE. provided with the aperture 22, theV-shaped DON P. LILLARD. outer sections 17 fitted to slide in the hollowWitnesses: inner section 16, and the spring 19 secured to F, H. THARP,the section 17, having its inner free end 21 I. H. GOOHMORN.

